Rotary engine.



H. E. BONHAM.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1913.

1,082,843. Patented Dec.30,1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Witnesses I 0%? Attorneys H. E. BONHAM, ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAYZQ, 1913.

1,082,843, Patented Dec.30,1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Inventor Attorneys HARRY E. BONHAM, OF DORRANCETON, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed May 29, 1913.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913. Serial No. 770,786.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY E. BONHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dorranceton, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Rotary Engine, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in rotary engines, one object of the invention being the provision of an engine of this type, in which the stator is an internal member and is provided with a main pressure fluid induction chamber and an exhaust or outlet chamber, the rotor disposed therearound being divided into a plurality of auxiliary rotor chambers and carrying the necessary pistons to receive the action both of impact and expansion to propel the rotor, the initial chamber receiving the pressure fluid and distributing it therefrom to the remaining chambers in succession, all of the remaining chambers exhausting or outletting into the main outlet chamber of the stator.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a rotary engine having a main inlet chamber and a plurality of auxiliary chambers, the inlets of which are in communication with the outlet of the initial or main chamber,'there being provided'asingle piston in each one of the auxiliary chambers positioned at different points of the rotor so that the same will be acted upon in succession by the outletting pressure fluid from the initial chamber, thus providing a means to utilize to the fullest degree, the maximum power of the pressure fluid in its passage through the engine. 1

l/Vith the foregoing. andother objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the inventionresides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view through the complete engine, said section being taken upon line l1 as shown in Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section taken 11 line 4. 1 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the base of the engine, which carries the two standards 2, which are disposed in spaced relation and have secured fixedly thereto, the pressure fluid inlet tubular member 3 and the outlet tubular member 4:, these members constituting a support for the cylindrical hollow stator 5, the detail structure of which will be set forth later on.

The stator 5 is divided by means of the partition 6 into two chambers 7 and 8, the chamher 7 being in communication with the pressure fluid inlet port 3 while the chamber 8 is the outlet chamber and is in communication with the outlet port st of the tubular member 4. Thus the pressure fluid is admitted at a concentric point into the chamber 6 and outlets at a concentric point from the chamber 8, thus permitting the stator to be an incased member and fixedly supported with relation to the base and to the rotor 11, which is provided with the head plates 9 and 10 secured thereto and rotatably mounted upon the tubular supports 3 and 4 and also the rotor 5.

Carried by the rotor 11, internally thereof, and in contact with the adjacent portion of the outer surface of the rotor 5 are the three annular projections or partitions 12, 13, and 14 which divide the annular space between the outer surface of the stator 5 and the rotor 11 into the main rotor chamber 9 and the three auxiliary rotor chambers 16, 17 and 18 respectively.

As shown in Fig. 2, the inner peripheral wall of the rotor 11 adjacent the main chamber 15, is provided with a plurality of recesses 20, for the reception of the pistons or movable abutments 21, the end 22 being disposed to ride upon the outer periphery of the stator 5, while the end 24: which is normally in radial alinement with the axis of the engine is the pressure fluid abutting end, a spring 23 being seated within the recess 20 and against the adjacent face of the abutment 21 so as to normally hold the same resiliently in the position as shown in Fig. 2. The diametrical opposed partitions or strips 19 are carried by the stator 5 and project outwardly in contact with the inner peripheral wall of the rotor and thus, as

fluid exhausting through the exhaust ports 7.

26 into the chambers 27--27' formed in the wall of the stator 5. Thus the pressure fluid exhausting from the compartments of the main motor chamber will pass through the spaces 27- 27 and enter the respective inlet port 28, of the chamber 16, port 31 of the chamber 17, and port 33 of the chamber 18, the ports 28, 31 and 33 being disposed, as clearly shown in Figs. '3, 4 and 5 so that one or the other of these chambers are acting and receiving pressure fluid at all times.

A's clearly shown in Fig. 3, the rotor chamber 16 is provided with the partition 29 so that a single chamber is provided with the inlet port 28 and the outlet port 30 which is in communication with the outlet chamber 8 of the stator, a pivotally supported abutment 21' being carried by the rotor adjacent this chamber 16. 7

It will be noted that the compartments 27-27 which constitute the outlet compart ment for the rotor chamber 15, are in communication with the compartment 27 throughout the remaining portion of the stator, said compartment having the ports 28, 31 and 33 led therefrom so that the pressure fluid exhausting or outletting from the rotor chamber 15 will be successively admitted to the respective chambers 16, 17 and 18, the pistons or abutments 21, 21 and 21 as clearly shown in Figs. 3, i and 5, being acted upon for approximately one sixth of a stroke by the impact of the pressure fluid admitted into its respective chamber and automatically cutting off the same so that the slight expansion of the pressure fluid contained within such chamber between the respective abu'tments 29, 29 and 29 will assist in propelling the rotor 11 at such points throughout the length of the engine.

As before stated, the pivoted abutments of the respective chambers 16, 17 and 18, where three are employed, are disposed at angles of approximately 120 to each other, so that at least two thereof are being acted upon one by the impact and the other by the expansion of the pressure fluid while the third is exhausting, all three of the pistons in the main chamber, as shown in Fig. 2, being properly acted upon so as to continue the proper rotation of the rotor 11 during the introduction of the pressure fluid into the chamber 7.

Itis apparent that any number of the abutments 21 may be employed, and that the auxiliary chambers such as 16, 17 and 18 may be increased to any number and that if so desired a plurality of pistons 21 or approximately 80 in the like may be employed in the respective succeeding compartments or rotor, chambers throughout the motor.

The partitions 12, 13 and 14: are pivoted with the respective inlet central ports or recesses 16, 17 and 18, each one of which is length, and are disposed as the rotor rotates to successively open and close the respective inlet ports 28, 31 and 33, to prevent the introduction of the pressure fluid to the respective chambers 16, 17 and 18. The partitions th-us act as a cutofl to the ports 28, 31 and 33, and as clearly illustrated in Figst, t and 5 it willbe seen that at least two ofthe pistons 21, 21 and 21, are being acted upon by the pressure fluid.

What is claimed is:

1. A rotary engine, including a support, a cylindrical hollow stator divided into an inlet and outlet chamber fixedly carried by the support, a rotor rotatably mounted upon the stator and provided with a plurality of circumferential projections inengagement with the peripheral surface of the stator and proiding a plurality of rotor chambers, the inlet chamber of the stator being provided with a port leading into the first rotor chamber, a longitudinally disposed chamber formed in the walls of the rotor and having an inlet port leading from the main rotor chamber and a plurality of ports leading into the remaining rotor chambers, rotor abutments carried bythe rotor in each one of the chambers, each of the succeeding chambers being provided with an exhaust port in communication with the stator, said ports being disposed at equidistant points throughout the circumference of the stator for successiveoutletting of the pressure fluid from the successive rotor chambers. i i

2. A rotary engine, including asupport, a cylindrical stator having oppositely disposed concentric tubular members, one of said members constituting a pressurefluid the outlet chamber of V inlet and the other constituting a pressure fluid outlet, saidstator being divided into an inlet and an outlet chamberin communication with the inlet and outletthereof, a hollow cylindrical rotor incasing the enlarged portion of the stator and provided with a plurality of inwardly projecting annular rotor engaging members dividing the space be tween the stator and rotor into a plurality of rotor chambers, said inlet chamber of'the stator being provided with a plurality of ports leading therefrom into the first rotor chamber, a plurality of resilient abutments carried by the rotor within the first rotor chamber, said stator being provided with a port leading from the first rotor chamber and into communication with the successive remaining rotor chambers, a single abutment carried by the rotor and disposed in each of the remaining successive rotor chambers, said stator being provided with a plurality of outlet ports, one to each successive rotor chamber, and forming a communication therebetween and the outlet chamber of the rotor, the inlet and outlet ports of the re spective successive rotor chambers being disposed at different angles to present an active medium at all points and at all times throughout the length of the rotor.

3. A rotary engine, including a support, a hollow cylindrical stator carrying oppositely disposed concentric tubular members fixedly connected to the support and constituting the pressure fluid inlet and outlet of the engine, a partition dividing the stator into an inlet and outlet chamber, a cylindrical rotor incasing the enlarged portion of the stator and having a plurality of inwardly projecting annular rotor enga 'ng members dividing the space between t e rotor and stator into a plurality of rotor chambers, said inner chamber of the rotor being provided with a plurality of inlet ports leading therefrom into the first rotor chamber, two diametrically disposed partitions carried by the rotor and the periphery thereof and dividing M Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the ,ment carried by the w my own, I have hereto the first rotor chamber into two compartments, there being one inlet port to each compartment, said stator being provided with a longitudinal chamber in the wall thereof in communication with the respective compartments of the main rotor chamber, a plurality of resilient abutments carried by the rotor within the first rotor chamber, an abutstator in each of the remaining chambers, said stator in each remaining chamber being rovided with an inlet port in communication with the inlet chamber from the main with an outlet port in communication with the outlet chamber of the stator, and a single resilient abutment carried by the rotor in each of the remaining chambers, said abutments being disposed at varying angles to each other to provide an active medium at all points during the rotation of the rotor.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HARRY E. BONHAM. Witnesses W. H. CHAPIN, S. E. BONHAM.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. a

rotor chamber and 

